Heller's POV:
"What's happening here?"
Lady Charlies noticed our conversation and discreetly shielded me behind her.
The leader's face turned a livid gray, and his dry, chapped lips writhed unwillingly, "Just answering some questions of His Highness, madam. Please take His Highness to rest, we'll handle the other matters."
But Lady Charlies remained unfazed and straightforwardly asked, "Is that so? How are you handling it? By just standing here like idiots?"
"Madam..." The leader's complexion changed drastically as he struggled to say something.
"I hope you remember your responsibilities," Lady Charlies didn't give him a chance to explain. "A soldier's duty is to defend and protect, not to stand here shamelessly trying to fool a child - especially when another child's life is hanging by a thread."
This time, all pretenses were dropped. The leader fell into silence like a volcano on the brink of eruption. The rest of the soldiers became restless, stealing glances over here, trying to catch any trace that might extricate them from this awkward situation.
It wasn't until the leader awkwardly said, "We can't be sure of the situation here. There's visible danger inside that mansion. I can't risk my men's lives."
I was uncertain if he was always this smooth-talking or what, but anyway, the soldiers seemed genuinely moved by his words. They seemed to view him as a leader to follow genuinely.
But I only saw him as extremely insincere.
"Cut the pretty talk. You don't want to risk your soldiers' lives? Then, you should have stopped Tyle from the beginning. Things wouldn't have escalated to this point. It's your retreat and weakness that bred the danger. And now you suddenly care about your soldiers' lives? What did you do earlier?
"Who knows if the danger will escalate? Once things get out of control, won't your soldiers have to resolve it in the end? Can you keep holding them back? Do you want them to desert? Even if your men don't have to face danger, others will still do. Are your soldiers' lives worth less than yours?"
The leader's face flushed, either from my anger or from his embarrassment at being exposed. He roared, "You're slandering me! I have never thought that way! Everything I've done is for the safety of my soldiers!"
He was clinging to his stance, but beyond that, he had nothing to argue with.
"But if they fear danger, why did they become soldiers? Besides, the queen surely gave you special protections. There won't be any danger beyond superficial harm. Isn't cowardice something you've chosen for yourself? Don't drag others down with you."
Being questioned by women and children must be quite a blow to his pride. He stared at us like an infuriated bull, as if he wished horns would sprout from his head immediately so he could gore us open and pretend nothing happened, continuing to be a cowering turtle.
In response, Lady Charlies displayed an unprecedented severity, "Do you know what punishment awaits you after all of this is over? Desertion on the battlefield is seen as cowardice. As an officer, surrendering is your example to set. You'll face a military tribunal." "I'm just responsible for my soldiers!" he struggled to argue.
"You're pushing your soldiers into a pit of fire! They're seasoned warriors, not feeble rabbits! Even if they follow your orders, they'll all end up in jail if they retreat in fear."
At this point, the soldiers' trusting looks toward their leader turned into sharp blades and corrosive acids, slowly eating away at his already crumbling dignity.
"... You don't understand. It's a force beyond human control. It's a demon! A demon! A deity equal to the Moon Goddess! Faced with the power of gods, mere mortal bodies can only lead to death!
"But why should I bear the danger? Why should I die? Just because you're nobles, royalty, and I'm an inconsequential commoner? Are your lives more important than mine?"
He looked at us with hatred as if I, Lady Charlies, or the others with bandages were the culprits of all calamities.
"In the goddess's name, I'm not inferior to any of you! Why is it that in the face of danger, we, the commoners, have to be on the front lines while you, the high and mighty ladies and lords, get to enjoy safety! Why?"
He had completely thrown caution to the wind, raging against the world's injustice and the ugliness of the class system. He even made aggressive movements, but his subordinates and fellow soldiers still seemed rational, holding him back if he did something irreparable.
I looked at him calmly. He was using quite an inciting rhetoric, wasn't he?
But the truth wasn't anything like that. This despicable person, even at this point, was still pretending, using every method to incite others to stand up for him.
He was quite 'admirable' with such talents.
"Do you know what the queen and the prince are doing right now?" I asked.
No one answered me. They looked at me with either concern or confusion. Some seemed to have been swayed, their gazes filled with resentment.